Conscious and unconscious perception of pitch shifts in auditory feedback during vocalization: Behavioral functions and event-related potential correlates.
NeuroImage July 1, 2025 Daniel Suchý, Roozbeh Behroozmand, Henry Railo 3 citations
Vocal responses to unexpected changes in auditory feedback occur even when speakers are unaware of the change. In 30 participants, individually calibrated pitch shifts were applied during vocalization, and after each trial participants reported whether they consciously detected the shift. Compensatory vocal adjustments were present on trials where the shift went unnoticed. Conscious detection of the shift led to larger vocal responses roughly 500-700 milliseconds later and was associated with early (auditory awareness negativity) and late (late positivity) brain signals. Source localization linked conscious detection to increased activity in temporal, frontal, and parietal cortical networks involved in speech motor control. The findings suggest that consciousness modulates the magnitude and neural correlates of speech feedback control.